Ex-newspaper guys and my old buds Dan Young and Ward Bushee at a recent reunion.
By John Murphy
Was thinking about it and it’s been just over 40 years since I started my first full-time job. That was as sports editor of the Watsonville Register Pajaronian in 1979.
My very first assignment was to cover Watsonville High basketball at North Salinas. Showing me the ropes and watching out for me was my new friend and R-P wire editor Dan Young. Bad idea.
Dan was a very social guy. He decided to call his buddy Ward Bushee at the Salinas Californian so we could all meet for Mexican food before the game. Ward’s dad, also named Ward, was the managing editor of the Watsonville paper. In other words, he was our boss.
Well, Dan and I arrived on time at a small Mexican restaurant in downtown Salinas. Soon all three of us were scarfing down enchiladas, tacos, rice and beans and washing it all down with either soda or beer (OK, it was beer). Time passed. Another round? Sure. Tipoff isn’t for 30 minutes. Why not?
Long story short, we got to the game with two minutes left. Two minutes! This was my first game, remember. Fortunately, the game went into overtime and Sherman Cocroft won it for Watsonville with a jumper at the buzzer. All’s well that ends well. I collected some stats, did my interviews, got the job done.
Where’s everyone now? Sherman Cocroft played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Dan Young I think is semi-retired and living somewhere in SoCal, like me. Ward Bushee? Ward didn’t goof off nearly as much as Dan and I and became editor of the Reno Gazette, Cincinnati Enquirer, Arizona Republic and, finally the San Francisco Chronicle. Go figure.
Main Street Dog 